Crackdown on Illegal Cellphones in MD Prisons

Several measures will be outlined in the House Judiciary Committee on Tuesday.

One measure backed by the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services would increase the penalty for providing a cellphone to a detained person from a misdemeanor to a felony. That would raise the penalty from up to three years in prison to five years.

A variety of measures is being proposed by lawmakers this session in the aftermath of a contraband conspiracy at the Baltimore City Detention Center that led to federal indictments of 44 people last year, including 27 correctional officers.